Elements: The Apprentice
by silverrowan
Summary: Sequel to E:TB Harry and Ares cause chaos around the planes as they went missing in their seventh week of apprentice rank! Kaiser has a major headache and Casmir needs another coffee! And Draco needs to deal with the Voldemort faction... CHAP5 UPDATED!
1. Trouble comes in all kinds

Hello everyone! I'm back. Unfortunately, I don't think Harry's going back yet.  
  
Silverrowan  
  
~**~**~  
  
"Van Gogh is better." Harry said firmly.  
  
Ares shook his head, "No, Monet is better."  
  
Harry narrowed his eyes, "Is not."  
  
"Is too." Ares stuck out his tongue. Harry snorted, "Very mature."  
  
Ares flashed him a smirk before saying, "Seriously, Monet is better than Van Gogh. You only like him because of his painting "Starry Night"."  
  
Harry answered defensively, "So? I like it, especially the swirls."  
  
Ares muttered, "Romantic." Harry glared but left the subject, "Come on, let's go explore the island."  
  
Ares agreed quickly and they prepared to jump blind. Exploring was one of his favorite hobbies, next to teasing Harry and scaring students of course. Because of the planes in this area instead of a normal huge piece of land, it is impossible to explore the usual way which is walking around the new places. The only way to explore around here is to jump without directions to a strange new plane and hope that it wasn't someplace dangerous. The only thing good about this is that they can't get lost as they always have a connection back to Kaiser's home.  
  
"Well here goes nothing." Harry said, holding Ares' hand tightly and jumped.  
  
....................................  
  
Colors swirled around them and without warning, they dropped onto cold hard ground.  
  
Harry was the first to stir, rubbing his head gently to ease the pain from the hit against a stone wall. Ares groaned underneath him and said in a muffled voice, "Harry, could you get of me please? I'm going to be flat as a pancake with all this squashing business."  
  
Harry stood up at once and helped Ares up to his feet. They dusted off the dust from the ground and looked around. Ares meanwhile started investigating the gray substance.  
  
"From the looks of this, the dust has been gathering here for quite a while. I would say this place hasn't seen a visitor for over two hundred years."  
  
Harry replied, "Wow, this is going to be a great place to explore!"  
  
Ares frowned and said hesitantly, "I'm not sure. Old places like this are usually dangerous. There's tons of traps and who knows what monsters had made this its nest. Harry, at the first sign of trouble, we go home. Understand?"  
  
Harry nodded, understanding the gravity of the situation.  
  
Ares, being the older of the two, led the way through a corridor. They made as little noise as possible as they edged silently through the huge building. At one point they stopped because Ares thought he heard some voices in a corner but it only turned out to be some mice.  
  
After making sure they were indeed alone, they proceeded and found themselves in a rather large room that seemed to be once a grand sitting room. Harry found a plate in a corner and walked over to inspect in. He blew away the dust and read the words inscribed on it in graceful writing. He let out a small gasp. Ares was immediately by his brother's side.  
  
"What is it?" He asked questionably.  
  
Harry wordlessly pointed at the plate on the wall.  
  
THE SITTING ROOM OF THE TITANIUM HALL.  
  
Looks like they found the infamous sister hall to the Platitium building that had been lost for centuries.  
  
~**~**~  
  
Runay was once again shopping in Diagon Alley with his vampire partner. For the sake of him, he couldn't figure out why Dranus enjoyed shopping so much. He supposed it's another one of those weird human quirks. Honestly, who ever heard of making clothing so constricting! Why, there's no room for wings or a tail!  
  
He shrugged and followed after the blond boy, looking over at those numerous strange magical artifacts. He fingered his wand in his robes nervously. That's another thing he couldn't figure out, why on earth do they need those fizzle sticks for? When he'd mentioned this to Dranus, the vampire had just looked at him with a glance that told him to drop the subject. Apparently most wizards use wands so it's better to use them to or else it would attract attention.  
  
He sighed and wandered aimlessly in the streets until one particularly shabby alley caught his attention. He walked over and read the worn down sign.  
  
KNOCKTURN ALLEY  
  
He blinked and shrugged again. 'Why not? Should be fun to see something new.'  
  
He was there for about five minutes before he figured out why people don't want to come here. So this was the shabby part of town. He grinned. A demon is right at home with these so-call-shabby stuff. He wondered whether the witch in the corner would tell him where she got the nails from? Perhaps she could share some information.  
  
As he turned to go, he caught a wisp of conversation that made him retrace his steps.  
  
"-Draco would be of course taking the mark this Christmas." Lucius Malfoy said in a smug tone. "After all, I am the Lord's favorite and Draco is the Malfoy heir. This will be a surprise so I trust you will not tell him?" He peered down at the form of Pansy Parkinson.  
  
"Of course, Mr. Malfoy." Pansy replied, smiling docilely as Lucius walked away.  
  
Runay froze for a second before quickly contacting his Dranus. It wasn't telepathy or anything, just a quick exchange of information. As he'd thought, the boy was furious at this info and immediately started changing his plans. Runay himself was also worried. 'This shouldn't be happening. It was too fast.'  
  
He hurried out of the alley and met Draco at the bookstore. On mutual agreement, they apparated out of the area. Runay was of course the one doing the apparating. One should be ashamed of thinking Draco Malfoy would be disobeying the rules.  
  
~**~**~  
  
Harry and Ares stood in stunned silence until the demon broke it, "Impossible. No one had seen hide or tail of this castle since like five hundred years ago normal time not Bermuda time. That equals almost thirty thousand years in Bermuda."  
  
"Holy shit," Harry breathed, "So we're like legends now? Since we've found a legendary place?"  
  
Ares could only nod. Harry shifted slightly. He didn't want to be famous but someone has to know about this place. There must have been lots of valuable stuff here!  
  
"Right." He said, "Let's link to this place so we don't lose it and tell Kaiser about it." Ares shook his head and said no.  
  
"Don't you get it Harry? We've been waiting for this chance for who knows how long. This is our trip to explore someplace no one has even seen for centuries. If Kaiser knows about it, we'll never see it again until all of the experts have combed it from top to bottom!"  
  
Harry nodded slowly, "Well.When you put it this way.Come on then, let's go!"  
  
They walked slowly through the castle or grand hall, peering into the rooms carefully. Harry's eyes bulged at some of the jewelry and gold here that must have been worth gazillions of galleons. Soon, they arrived at a dead end.  
  
Ares was about to head back when Harry said, "Wait." He turned and saw his partner frowning and muttering slightly under his breath.  
  
"There's magic on this wall. It's turquoise, which means it's above average. There must be a secret entrance like Diagon Alley or something." Suddenly, he threw up his hands, "Ahh! I wish Kaiser taught me more about this violet sight thingy." Ares walked over and put a hand on his shoulder, "Calm down, we'll figure this one out. We always do, we're the unbreakable, unbeatable and unbashable duo. Aren't we?"  
  
Even Harry cracked a smile at this long-term joke created among the teachers and soon circled among the masters too. They were both excellent students, once you look past Ares' temper tantrums, and were top of their classes. Alone they were good together they were the best. They had proved it when they had beaten three mages that were like three levels ahead of them because they'd insulted Kaiser. Because this was done on one of the common planes, there were lots of spectators and witnesses that quickly spread the news about how three mages got beaten into a pulp by two novices.  
  
When they took the apprentice tests, they chose to work together which caused many raised eyebrows. Novices taking the tests together were rare though not restricted because their chances to mess up are huge as they are not in unison with each other. But because of the fact that Ares and Harry are bonded, they know each other so well that they actually beat the test, which caused one teacher to faint on sight and another to lose his sense of speech for an hour. Quite an accomplishment.  
  
Harry shook his head slightly and pressed his magic forward, forcing the entrance to reveal itself. The wall resisted for a moment before giving way into a large arch. Harry smiled and walked into the passageway.  
  
The tunnel was sloped downwards and the duo continued going deeper and deeper into the core of magic. When they were going down for half an hour, Harry began to look nervous. 'Is this ever going to end?'  
  
When they finally reached the end of the tunnel, they both breathed a sigh of relief. Neither wanted to just blindly go forward for miles. The end of the passageway led to a large cave, with droplets of water trickling down the walls.  
  
But the pair's eyes were instead drawn to the center of the cave, where an altar stood. On top of the stone structure, a sparkling jewel in a diamond shape was prodded up by crystal stands. Harry was fascinated by the display of colors and walked towards the sight.  
  
Before he could get within three meters of it however, a growling sound echoed in the large chamber.  
  
Harry froze in fright when he looked at. Towering above them were four monstrous beasts, eyes staring menacingly down at them. Apparently they didn't took well to anyone who got near their treasure.  
  
"Um, hi everyone?" Harry squeaked out.  
  
~**~**~  
  
Done!  
  
Silverrowan 


	2. Prisoner Madness

Oops. Sorry about the slight delay.can't help it if I'm not in the mood, you know.so let's continue.  
  
Sil  
  
~**~**~  
  
"Jump now!" Ares shouted at Harry, all the while keeping an eye on the beasts. When a minute had passed and nothing happened, he glance towards his partner who was becoming steadily paler by each second.  
  
"What are you waiting for?" Ares yelled again.  
  
"It's not working!" Harry's voice was shrill with panic. "There's some sort of magic nullifier on this place!"  
  
"WHAT!" Ares roared.  
  
Suddenly the cave started shaking, the rocking gradually became harder and harder. Harry gripped on to the wall tightly, face turning slightly greenish with nausea. He glanced up and saw the beasts growing larger and larger. 'Not good.' Harry gulped and then did something totally out of league. He fainted.  
  
~**~**~  
  
Kaiser was slowly going red in the face. The other occupants in the room shrank and shook slightly. Kaiser does not normally get angry but when he did, it was a terrible sight. And right now, he was furious.  
  
"AND YOU BUMBLING FOOLS JUST SAW FIT TO TELL ME NOW!?" He yelled. "For god's sake, how stupid can you get? If you told me right after they disappeared, I could have trace them!"  
  
The shouting from the irritated and angry mage continued on for several minutes while the lower ranked people sweated profusely.  
  
"All right, gather a search team for them and you better make sure you do it right this time!" Kaiser said once he calmed down. The other mages nodded immediately and practically ran out of the room.  
  
~**~**~  
  
"Oohhh! Is that a human?" An awed voice said.  
  
"Of course it is you dunce. Look at its structure!" An annoyed voice answered back.  
  
"Geez Eminor, I was just asking a question." The feminine voice said hurt.  
  
"Whatever. I don't-"  
  
But whatever he wanted to say was cut off by a loud shriek from the girl, "Look, the human's waking up!" She squealed.  
  
Harry blinked slowly as the room blurred and cleared. He rubbed his eyes, yawned and nearly had a heart attack. Crowding over him was a something with cute triangular ears and had stripes on its face. He stared.  
  
The face broke into a smile and the person started jumping around the room, throwing its hands into the air, all the while shouting, "It's awake! It's awake!" Harry got even more confused than ever.  
  
A movement in a corner caught his eye and he turned his head sharply and blinked. Again. It seemed to be a male version of the something that is going half insane. The male thing had a very peculiar look on its face and keep shooting furious glances at the female thing that was still dancing around. When it saw him, it held out a hand or a paw and said calmly, "Ignore Elise, she's high since you arrived. I admit that it was quite a shock since we've never seen a human for over three centuries."  
  
Harry smiled warily and shook its hand, no paw and asked, "Who are you? What are you? How did I get here? And where's Ares?"  
  
It laughed and replied, "My name is Eminor and I'm a half-fox. Elise is a half-tiger. We don't really have a species name yet. You are brought here by the encrounts, the guardians of the castle. As for your last question, I would assume Ares is your demon friend?" Harry nodded and Eminor continued, "He is being held in a different part of the castle. Because he's a demon and not a human, he is not under tight scrutiny and is allowed to freely wonder about. You however are a human and must therefore not be let loose."  
  
Harry frowned and asked, "Why do you hate humans so much? It's not like I'm dangerous, you probably are a lot more stronger than me." Eminor avoided his eyes at this point and said, "It is best that you do not know."  
  
Knowing that the part-fox would not give any more information, he sighed and leaned back on the surprisingly comfortable bed. He shifted around to get into a more suitable position before giving another question, "Can I go back?"  
  
At this, Eminor answered sharply, "No." Taken aback by the ferocity, Harry asked again, "Why not?"  
  
Eminor gave a cold and controlled look at the human. "You've already seen us, you can no longer go back to your world. From now on, you're what may be considered a prisoner here. If you behave, maybe you'll be allowed to see other parts of the castle. Your meals will be given to you three times a day and you will have to do a fair share of chores. And I wouldn't encourage you to escape either. The doors and windows are spelled with our magic and any magic you use is useless. In fact, you'll get a rather nasty shock if you do."  
  
Harry swallowed and nodded. This is not going to be fun. Eminor straightened and walked out of the door, towing Elise behind him and leaving a thoughtful Harry behind.  
  
Harry pondered over the things he just learned. It was obvious Eminor doesn't want to talk about his 'prison statement' or anything associated with it. It was also obvious that these people have a rather heavy grudge against humans and distrusted them. Something must have happened to make them feel that way.  
  
They say that they haven't seen humans for three hundred years. Titanium Hall has been lost to the Bermuda for three hundred years. So obviously something happened in that period that separated the castle from society. But the question is, what?  
  
He decided that wondering about answers without information is useless so he decided to create a mental search for Ares. Maybe the demon will have some info for him. Hmm.perhaps he would be able to construct a rough map too?  
  
He ran his thoughts through the area, searching for that comforting familiar presence of his brother. And he found it. Luckily it was not lurking among a lot of other people as Harry was not yet experienced enough to determine which signal is which.  
  
He called the mental version of a hello and watched as Ares' attention discretely turned to him. With ease, Harry filled him in on what has happened thus far. He also recommended that Ares go to a library and find out more about this place. They exchanged information and Ares was too intrigued upon the idea of a mental map.  
  
Pleased with the results, Harry laid back wearily on his pillow. Hopefully once he got use to this he won't be so tired anymore. In the meantime however-it was time to get some sleep.  
  
~**~**~  
  
Everybody was now officially scared of Kaiser. The man was a walking time bomb, ready to blow up at any moment. The search team even has votes on the unlucky one who will report the news to the furious man. The fact that the results of the search were a failure did not cease to make the situation any better.  
  
It was this intriguing challenge of the missing students and the mysterious happenings that drew other mages into the search. Not to mention that two apprentices had gone missing and who knows what will happen to the others? Of course, they were worried about the boys as well, especially the council who viewed those students as potentially intelligent and powerful, an asset to any course.  
  
Whatever excuse they gave foe their attention with this case was useless to the onlookers as every one of them knew that the council had a soft spot for the pair. Perhaps it's the fact that they get into trouble at least once every week and had been taken to the council to judge thousands of times or the fact that they managed to make even the most patient man lose their temper we'll never know but the group of ten certainly likes them better then others.  
  
Courage like this is very rare in these days as no one would willingly provoke danger but somehow the duo did, and made it seemed like fun. Of course, that just made the teachers madder and more determined to catch him but if you look really closely, you could se the sparks of amusement in their eyes. Apparently they enjoyed the challenge. In just three ranks, the pair had managed to be known all over the school, a very respectful feat if you asked anyone.  
  
And because of this fame, the knowledge that the infamous duo was missing and most likely in mortal danger spread like wildfire across the numerous planes and inspired lots of experts to try their luck at solving this mystery. Everyone wants to be the one to find them, not to mention the challenge! Aside from the fights in this school, the teachers and masters have never been caught in a panic before. Even if fights broke out, they are still tons stronger than two students. However, this excitement would be truly a worthwhile case to break if Kaiser's top detectives can't do it.  
  
That's another thing. Kaiser Klementine was voted nearly a million times to be in the council and half as much to be the head. His fame for discovering over twenty new planes and the only user of both shadow and light power is known throughout Bermuda. Because of this, he had a special force that works just for him and are just as famous as he is. The members are known to be fast and efficient and don't take crap from anyone but Kaiser. Nobody in their right minds dare challenge their authority after they blew a council member to Jamaica for wasting their time.  
  
Therefore, it also increased Kaiser's fame as they witnessed first hand how one look from the man make his team wet their pants. What the other people didn't know was that Kaiser had a special glare and attitude reserved just for the team and they know it. The reason Kaiser didn't use this new and improved version was because if he did, the people would be quaking for days and committing suicide.  
  
~**~**~  
  
(A month from the day Harry and Ares was captured)  
  
It was a joyous event to be celebrating. After thirty-one days, he finally managed to get all his data together. Getting a complete map was easy after you discovered a hidden talent of mind's eye.  
  
Mind's eye is like telepathy, except that you can actually see the area through your eyes and not feel the things that are going on. Also, you can hear what the people are saying and not only their thoughts. But the mind's eye has one disadvantage; you can't talk to them through their minds as it wasn't strictly telepathy. It lets you watch and hear silently but you are not an active part of the conversation or action.  
  
He also managed to get a complete map of the area, secret passages included. Some, he reckoned that even the elders of this bizarre race doesn't know.  
  
The door opened softly and a woman stepped in. She placed a tray on his side table and left just as silently. Harry didn't try to talk to her, he knew it was useless. Sighing at this, he picked up a piece of bread and nibbled on it daintily. He often wondered why the people kept him alive if they hate him so much. It was a constant source of puzzlement for him.  
  
He finished the meal, although plain, was not stingy either. Whoever prepared it was giving him what they usually ate, not a few measly crumbs. He got out of bed, took the tray and placed it beside the door. Again he felt that feeling came. This time, he was able to sense more things about it than the last time.  
  
He always got this tingly feeling when he was in the room like he was being watched. It wouldn't surprise him a lot if he was. Over time, it disappeared. Harry wasn't sure if he just got used to it or if it was because the person wasn't paying a lot of attention to him anymore now that he didn't seem to be trying any tricks or whatever they think he'd do. But whenever he got out of bed, the feeling came back again. It'd figure that they'd be paranoid.  
  
Harry also realized that there were different feels to the feeling. Sometimes it was friendly almost but sometimes it had such an amount of hate that Harry couldn't help but shuddered. He deduced that this was because there are several different people watching him and they each have different opinions on him. Harry also caught on to the fact that the malicious feeling usually appeared at night. 'Figures that their best person would take the night watch. After all, it's the best time to try something.'  
  
~**~**~  
  
Draco's grades dropped abysmally. They were barely passing. He'd even managed to fail several. Therefore it was no surprise to him when the headmaster called him to his office again.  
  
"Mr. Malfoy," The headmaster began after offering him some muggle sweets, "Your grades have been dropping recently."  
  
Draco stayed quiet and the headmaster continued, "Since they do not seemed to be improving, I'm asking you what are you going to do with the situation." He finished gravely.  
  
Draco stared at the old man and replied, "I don't know sir, what do you think I should do?" He inquired politely. The professor stroked his beard for several moments before replying, "If it'll be alright with you Mr. Malfoy, I'd like you to take private lessons in your extra time. And I'm afraid you can't go home for Christmas as it is crucial that you improve to study for your O.W.Ls."  
  
Draco looked angry and asked, "Can we reschedule the lessons? I really need to be home for Christmas."  
  
Dumbledore shook his head slowly and replied, "I'm afraid not Mr. Malfoy. If you don't improve your grades by then, you'll most likely be expelled. It is against the school rules to just fool around. We know that you can get better grades then that and the fact that you're obviously not even making an effort does not look good for you."  
  
"My father will hear about this atrocity!" Draco said between clenched teeth. The headmaster didn't look at all fazed. "I'm afraid that even the board of governors cannot overrule the school rules so I suggest that you start getting a better grade, Mr. Malfoy." The tone was gentle but firm.  
  
Draco stormed out of the headmaster's office, outwardly furious but inside, Draco was dancing in glee. He would no longer be required to go home for Christmas and his father most definitely would not want him expelled as they would than lose a valuable sigh. The ceremony would just have to wait until the summer and when that comes, he'd find a way to deal with it.  
  
He thought about his plan and even Runay had to admit it was ingenious. Fail the classes and get lessons on Christmas. Make sure that his father wouldn't con his way out of it. Sure it had cost him his pride but it was a price he willingly paid rather than face the alternate event.  
  
Yes, things were coming along nicely.  
  
~**~**~  
  
Harry was bored. In the last month, he had the mapping process to keep him occupied but now he was truly and deeply bored. Although reading through the varies books in the library with his mind's eye was interesting and spying on their plans for him was fun, he needed to do something solid, which is also why he came up with this crazy plan.  
  
It was painful, horrific, insane and had absolutely no gain to it. It was also unbelievably ingenious and fun, not to mention that it'll mess with the People's head. With those reasons, the plan was most definitely going to be used.  
  
Because of the possible ways that Harry could harm one of the People when they come in, it was decided that there would be no sharp objects in the room. It is really a shame, Harry thought, as it would be really useful now. But he will have to make do with simple nails. Harry smiled. It was a secretive smile and was not very reassuring to people who saw it. The plan would begin tonight, where the best will be watching him.  
  
He laughed inwardly; this will be a show they'll never forget.  
  
~**~**~  
  
Longer than normal!  
  
I'm moving tomorrow so if I didn't update for longer than I usually do, please pardon me as I need to take care of the Internet connection and measly things as the TV. Thank you.  
  
Silverrowan 


	3. The Grand Finale

Hi, I'm back after a lot of internet and phone problems, not to mention that its freezing out here.  
  
Now on to the fic!  
  
~**~**~  
  
Harry smiled and hummed little tunes under his breath. He sat down and softly chanted a spell. The blood replacement spell. It creates replacement blood for any blood you lose. Very useful to vampires as they can actually keep their victims alive and drink as much as they want.  
  
He checked his mental clock. Fifty nine.sixty. Twelve on the dot. Bingo. He could already feel the change as the mucho man stepped up for the next watch on the supposedly dangerous human. Well tonight he'll show them just how dangerous he was.  
  
He used he fingernails and scratched a thin line on both of his wrists. Slowly, the red substance oozed up. He smiled pleasantly and dipped his finger in it.  
  
Casting another charm to substain the flow of blood, he starting drawing pictures in the air. Light swishes filled the silent room and even though he couldn't see it, he knew that his watchman was carefully staring at him.  
  
When he finished his picture, he looked at it for a few times before casting a spell that froze it. He then dipped his fingers into his blood again and painted another portrait. Once he was done, he stepped back and smirked. Time for the efforts of the painting and drawing class to come in.  
  
The secret of the class is that they don't only teach you how to paint, they teach you how to make the painting come alive. Harry whispered an incantation and an Asian style brush appeared in his hand. He outlined the portraits with black ink and finally finished them off by painting in their eyes. This was the most important part. He could still repeat what the sensei said word for word as he drilled it into their brains.  
  
* Flashback *  
  
"Also remember that the eye of your intended subject makes them alive. The eyes are the windows to their souls. Always make sure that you're prepared you drew the eye. It is of utmost importance that you do because a free subject could wreck havoc upon the world as a being made totally out of magic!"  
  
* End Flashback *  
  
Well I'm certainly careful, he thought. When his internal clock rang the alarm of one in the morning, he grinned slightly and activated his well of magic and poured it into his paintings. Imagining that they're alive, he concentrated on making them into living creatures.  
  
He finished the draining process with a link to anchor them into this world and looked up. Sure enough, there were two gigantic monsters looking there. Harry blinked in surprise and twitched slightly. He'd expected it to work but not so well. The creations actually looked like they were breathing. It had been his goal in his class for a long time. And I mean a long time like forever for example.  
  
I suppose that the determination made me achieve my goal but the main thing is that it worked! It's showtime and he gathered up his magic.  
  
~**~**~  
  
Ares woke up gasping in the middle of the night. 'What the hell is going out?! It's like I'm charging up for battle yet not! Must be Harry's doing.'  
  
He tried to access his partner's mind to give the boy a tongue-lashing but for some absurd reason, Harry's mind's was shielded so well that even he, who shared the same mind couldn't break it!  
  
Now Ares was up and attentive. Something important had to be up for his brother to shut out like this and from the way his shields were pulsing with magic, he was sure he was not going to like this one bit.  
  
~**~**~  
  
"We felt something, sir! I'm sure!" An officer yelled out in excitement while the others let out a sigh of relief. Thank goodness for that, they weren't sure how long Master Kaiser could hole without blowing someone out.  
  
Kaiser jumped out of his chair immediately and ran over to the observation stores. "Where? Hone in on them now!" He commanded.  
  
"Yes, Sir!"  
  
All of the people on Bermuda cheered at the news. Every plane on the planes was showing screens on how they were doing. It was like the news of the century. Finally there was a puzzle that will stump everyone, never mind that the puzzle was on the suspension and liable to be expelled list.  
  
Kaiser stared at the reading and a frown appeared on his face. "That's strange." He wondered aloud, "His power levels are increasing to impossible stages which is why it led us to him in the first place but what reason would he have to raise his power levels up? An attack would be successful with half that strength. It seems like he's either trying to control something or to break something."  
  
~**~**~  
  
Draco choked in the middle of History of Magic and rushed out of the classroom. As he had thought, the ghost didn't even look his way once. The only minor thing about this was that he was panicking all the way.  
  
He quickly entered an empty classroom and started to build up mind shields. There was something powerful building up in the back of his mind and he didn't like it one bit. It was like a storm gathering, its power just waiting to be unleashed.  
  
It also doesn't surprise him that the power got something to do with Potter. That brat always gets into trouble no matter where he was. He should learn not to mess in things that is potentially dangerous.  
  
When he was sure about the security of his blocks, he went out into the forbidden forest to talk to Runay about this new development.  
  
'I just hope he didn't already blow something up!'  
  
~**~**~  
  
Voldemort narrowed his eyes into the darkness. Something big was going on and he could already feel the mana of this planet gathering in the. MIDDLE OF AN OCEAN?! What the?!  
  
Why would anyone wanted to do anything in the middle of the ocean? Besides gathering up a hurricane or a storm, that is. He looked out of the window into the night sky. Black clouds clustered together in the sky, shading the moon.  
  
'The black moon of a new dawn signifies the beginning of a strange new discovery."  
  
~**~**~  
  
Hundreds of miles away in the top of a tower, Albus Dumbledore also pondered about the strange occurrence.  
  
He stroked his beard and petted his phoenix Fawkes. Mmm.I wonder.  
  
~**~**~  
  
Harry commanded the monsters to create as much ruckus as they can to offer a distraction to the idiots. From what he'd witnessed, the creatures showed no signs of having any magic. That will be their downfall.  
  
In his mind he formed a large ball of energy. It sparkled and pulsed slowly and Harry separated them into smaller balls. He attached them onto the minds of the each of the citizens of this place. Giving the importance of this plan, he had to make sure that there were no mistakes. Checking that everything is secure and well, he smirked and prepared for the assault. Then he'd wait and see if a month's preparations are enough.  
  
With the stage set, Harry conjured up a storm inside his room and drew mana and strength from anything within 500 miles. Because of the nothingness between the planes, distance is irrelevant and Harry had an almost unlimited amount of power.  
  
He took a deep breathe, unleashed the storm and the demons came alive. In a sea of shadows and light, the rage and anger of being trapped became free, free to seek vengeance with a passion. The strength from the balls striked the imagination and the mind but not the reality. The body remained alive and everything in the castle remained whole and the mind falls into a coma. The person themselves will not wake up until the spell is revised by the castor or overrode by a stronger castor. Due to the fact that the castle's whereabouts is unknown and the power involved, no one will be waking anytime soon if Harry would have it. After all, if he needed to have the advantage, he'll need to know this place better without guards sneaking around.  
  
Harry arrived back to the reality plane and after making sure of his success, fainted from sheer exhaustion.  
  
~**~**~  
  
Ares groaned from the onslaught and recognized the attack as Harry's. 'So this is what he was planning! A little flashy but works nonetheless. Well this is one attack the People won't forget for a long time. It's ironic that no matter where we go, we always leave our mark. Maybe we should invent an insignia or something.'  
  
~**~**~  
  
That's it! I really got to go! I finished this in an hour! Finally!  
  
Silverrowan 


	4. Uneasy Revelations

After some very hefty consideration, I continued this fic after a four month break. I'd be very surprised if you still keep up with me. Since my huge project is over and I've decided that I've relaxed enough to go on with my life, I'll start on this again. For those who still keep up with me, I thank you very much for your unduly patience.  
  
Thank you,  
Silverrowan  
  
Chapter 4: Uneasy Revelations  
  
Dear Minerva,  
  
How are things going in that school of yours? Well I do hope it went better than mine! Honestly! What do you teach these so call wizarding kids these days? None of them could even manage a proper disguise spell. I cannot believe...  
  
That was how Maia McGonagall's monthly letter to her cousin started. Minerva chuckled as she finished the letter. As always, it was full of complaints about the lack of competence of the students nowadays. Often, Minerva wondered why Maia decided to teach if she doesn't even like it and why drama of all the subjects in the world. She didn't even know that drama was a wizarding subject. 'It must have been a really strange school.'  
  
Of course, despite that Maia was family and the two cousins were really close, Minerva didn't really know a lot of Maia's personal life or her job. They always talk about her in their letters. All she did know was that Maia taught drama at a private magical school for the past ten years and changed her name there. When Minerva inquired about the name-changing topic, Maia had just brushed it off as because she doesn't want anyone to hire her because of the McGonagalls' teaching history.  
  
'Well that's certainly logical.' She mused. 'We do have a rather extensive list of family members who turned teachers.'  
  
Minerva McGonagall folded the letter neatly and carefully placed it in a locked chest with all her other letters. Maia had always been her favorite cousin and her monthly letters were greatly treasured since she had hardly seen her for the past years. In fact, once she thought about it, they had not met once ever since Maia got her new teaching post.  
  
Minerva was glad for her cousin but she really does miss her. Being a professor at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry does not give much time for family and personal matters, what with students running amok and Harry Potter getting into trouble every single year. Although he didn't do them on purpose, not like his father and Sirius Black. Now that's a team that strikes terror. Of course, there's no way she could have known about Harry and Ares.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Harry met Ares in the hallway, beaming slightly. Ares simply rolled his eyes at his partner's newest achievement and stepped aside to avoid one of the fallen People. Fallen. Yes, he did truly like that word, especially since it's his enemies that are being described. He had nothing against the People themselves, since they did treat him all right but Harry hated them with good reason. So he did too. Never let anyone accuse him of disloyalty.  
  
He then frowned. The People had a huge secret. There was no reference to what the secret was but mention of the power or the sacred stone has been whispered about long enough for Ares to know that they have something powerful in their hands. And he was determined to get it. The only thing he does know about the treasure was that it had something to do with Egypt. With Harry's help, he had no doubt that the secret would not be a secret for long.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

William Weasley, or Bill as he was called, was on the verge of a huge discovery. Of course, he doesn't know it yet. Most people who discover important things don't. After all, how can taking advantage of the shade of a pyramid for a short break be a break at discovering something?  
  
That was exactly what Bill was doing now. Taking a break from Egypt's burning hot sun and ridiculously high heat. It was lucky that Bill was excavating near one of the Wizarding pyramids that had been hidden with illusion spells instead of muggle ones. He wasn't too sure how the local authorities would take to a stranger leaning against the aging buildings people are trying to save.  
  
The wizarding pyramids however, suffered no such problems, protected by the many layers of complicated spells casted on them. Because wizarding pyramids were very common, wizards don't really value the pyramids as much as the muggles do. After all, you just need a few spells to build one.  
  
This particular pyramid that Bill is leaning on is one that he favored greatly. It was one of those rare ones that are anonymous. The only clue to the origin of the builder was a carving of an eagle's talon on one of its sides. That is also the reason for its name "The Talon Pyramid".  
  
Bill shifted slightly to get more comfortable and felt something sharp prick his fingers. Immediately, a thin trickle of blood oozed out onto the dry sand and was absorbed instantly. He lifted his hand and saw something shiny flashed in the sand. He dug for a while and tugged the object out. Brushing the sand out of its edges, Bill gasped in surprise, eyes wide.  
  
It was a knife, a very very beautiful knife, decorated with rubies and sapphires and obviously very old. But it was not the blade that caught his attention, it was the words carved onto its side.  
  
In a very intricate handwriting, it read in old Latin: _Property of Grand Master Talon_

Are the blade and the pyramid somehow connected?

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Kaiser was frustrated and angry. Those two emotions are not a very great mix. Discovering Harry's and Ares' whereabouts and losing it again was like adding fuel to the fire. Narrowing his eyes at the blazing fire in front of him, Kaiser though about everything that had happened in the past four years since Harry became his charge and later Ares. Everything in Bermuda had started to go strange and people were getting refreshed from normal routines. Kaiser particularly, had tons of trouble on his hands. Yet, he would not have it any other way. Yes, it was time to visit Casmir again.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
Casmir, the shadow vampire, practically a living legend, was not feeling like a living legend. In fact, he felt as if his head was going to spilt in half. The tolls of the past few months were finally ganging up on him and he seriously needed a vacation to relax. But he can't. Not with the knowledge that an infuriated Kaiser would be popping up for news now and then.  
  
That was what he was planning to do this afternoon. He already had all his beach clothes packed too. With sunglasses, lotion and a portable chair. Not to forget a radio with some nice classical music.  
  
But his vacation was suddenly canceled when his old _friend _decided to come and visit. The reason: the mass that is going on in the world and two missing students. Casmir however, was not going to refuse him. Not with the way his friend's voice was sounding. Perfectly calm. Kaiser Klementine was known for his temper and with all rights, Kaiser wasn't supposed to be calm. Add to the fact that Kaiser was smiling. Not a warm or cold smile, but a scimitar smile, the one that says that he'll tear you apart if you don't do something.  
  
So what could he do but comply? Sadly, nothing.  
  
_This is so unfair! Kaiser's the one who's supposed to be running in terror, not me. Isn't there a protect-living-legends program somewhere? After all shadow vampires are a very endangered species. We should be protected! sniff_

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Runay was discovering the joys of modern technology in muggle London. Since he had nothing better to do and Dranus was at school, he decided to venture out into the muggle world and taking a whole ton of muggle money with him. (All transferred from wizarding money to muggle from Lucius Malfoy's personal vault) Runay had spent the last few weeks exploring England and Europe in his demon form, which was a pure white dragon and frankly, he was getting bored and tired of flying around.  
  
The salesperson at the store was at first unkind but after seeing how much money Runay has, he changed his mind and was all smiles. Runay was fascinated and bought everything imaginable, even a small flat. He spent hours obsessing over it, musing on how muggles so efficiently built tall buildings without the use of magic. He then spent another five hours furnishing the flat. Runay was very pleased with how it looked in the end.  
  
_I'll introduce it to Dranus first thing on the weekend.  
  
_All in all, it was a good day.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Charlie Weasley loved dragons as a child and he still love them now. He used to spend hours upon hours staring at the pictures of the mystical creatures in the few books his father bought him. Now at age twenty-one, he considered himself an expert on dragons.  
  
However, with all his skills and experience, he'd never seen this dragon before.  
  
"And you say you saw this dragon flying around the countryside?" Charlie asked in an amazed voice.  
  
His fellow colleague Sarah nodded and replied, "Yep. That's right. It was an amazing creature Charlie! It definitely made the freezing trip to Russia worthwhile! Once I saw it, I just knew I had to take a picture. Luckily, I had my camera with me."  
  
Charlie had no doubt that it really was. The picture was a bit fuzzy from the weather but he could make out the magnificent outline of the pure white dragon.  
  
And Charlie knew that like Sarah _just _had to take a picture, he just had to see it for himself.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

And thus, it's done.  
  
Again, I appreciate all of you who've reviewed this fic.  
  
Silverrowan


	5. Unfortunate Events

Thank you so much for your reviews! I really enjoyed reading them!  
  
Silverrowan  
  
Chapter 5: Unfortunate Events

* * *

"Are you sure you know where you're going?" Harry asked skeptically. "I'm awfully positive that we've passed that stature before."  
  
"Yes, of course I'm sure!" Ares replied confidently.  
  
Harry looked at his partner and smirked. He knew Ares didn't know where he's going and he also knew that Ares knew that he knew that Ares didn't know where he's going. All in all, it evens out. Suddenly, Harry bumped into Ares' back. He looked up, preparing to say something when Ares' mesmerized, "Look," shook him out of it.  
  
He looked and gasped. There in the middle of the corridor rested a giant diamond, hanging from the ceiling like a chandelier.  
  
Harry vaguely heard Ares muttered, "I told you I knew where I was going," and snorted. _Yeah right.  
_  
His interest officially piqued, Harry reached out to touch the large shiny crystal, and Ares mirrored his action. Together, they rested their hands on the cool jewel.  
  
And the world exploded in color.

* * *

Bill admired the way the dagger caught the sun and shone brightly. It was really a work of art. He sat down on the desert floor and tossed the blade a few times, catching its own rhythm. Of course, sitting on the floor was not a good position to be caught unaware; Bill can personally vouch for _that _piece of information. For that was exactly what had happened to him.  
  
It was on his fifth toss that the blade started to move. Bill, afraid to lose such a precious object, grasped the handle tightly and refused to let go. The blade seemed to struggle harder but suddenly stopped. That pause was the only warning the red-haired boy had before he was thrown towards the face of Talon's pyramid, the dagger zooming in front of him like a muggle steering wheel. But it was a steering wheel Bill had no control over.  
  
Luckily for him, or unluckily, the east side of the stone structure opened up to reveal a pitch-black opening. The dagger seemed to take this as an invitation and flew inside, lugging a now very scared Bill Weasley with it. And the way the opening sealed shut behind him did nothing to alleviate his fears.  
  
Bill Weasley was not used to being scared but getting trapped in a dark pyramid is way crossing the line. Immediately pieces of old tales about mummies and curses, which he'd laughed at before now, came to haunt his mind and he gripped the dagger harder. He was not about to let that weapon get away from him. After all, it was the only thing preventing him from being thrown into the dark or getting lost. Not that he wasn't already but the blade seemed to know where it's going, not to mention that it was comforting him with its very presence. And Bill was all up for comfort and assurance now.  
  
Suddenly, the Weasley was thrown heavily onto the ground. The huge thump made when his body landed was heard in echoes for several minutes before they died out. Bill shivered as a gust of cold air hit him and got up painfully to his feet, holding the dagger in front of him as a shield. As if on cue, stone torches on the walls were lighted, created deep shadows with their flickering flames. Bill gazed towards the direction he came/flew from and flinched. There was nothing there but a huge stonewall, _dead end_. A chill ran through him as he came to the conclusion that he was thoroughly trapped.  
  
Gazing around, Bill noted that he was in a long corridor, with one of its end behind him. He gazed penetrating into the way that was paved out before him and sighed in defeat.  
  
_I should have listened to my horoscope. This is indeed a cursed day._

_

* * *

_  
While Bill Weasley hated his day, Runay was enjoying it as he finished his 24th cone of ice cream. The shopkeeper was gazing at him as if he's insane but did not say anything because Runay was bringing in tons of money. Of course, the shopkeeper had no way to know that the money was stolen from his brother's father, so Runay decided to conveniently forget that fact and decided to focus on the important things in life. Mainly the deliciousness of muggle ice cream and chocolate.  
  
The shopkeeper, seeing that his white-haired guest wasn't leaving anytime soon, decided to make small talk and asked,  
  
"Sir, what are you going to do after you finished eating?"  
  
The shopkeeper didn't expect Runay to answer because a normal person just doesn't answer this kind of stuff, much less rich people but Runay wasn't a normal person. He was a demon. So he replied cheerfully,  
  
"Oh I think I might go fly for a while. See the views and whatnot, you know?"  
  
While Runay might have meant that he was going for a fly in his demon form, the shopkeeper didn't see it that way. In fact, visions of grandeur and fame were dancing in his head right now. For surely if a man could talk about flying private jets in such a casual way, he must be super rich and it was just his luck that the man happened to like ice cream.  
  
Runay of course didn't notice anything, being too busy stuffing his head with the cool snack. After all, flying, as an exercise and entertainment had always been normal for him. So while the shopkeeper was doing his best to please the man by giving him the ice cream for free, Runay just took this as another human and muggle's weird quirks and happily accepted the gift.

* * *

Gringotts Wizarding Bank had always prided itself on being the best Wizarding bank ever. Not that there was any competition since it's the only wizarding bank, but there's always pride about its successes and accomplishments. The bank was particularly prided itself on its security system and how any thieves who tried to rob them would never see the sunlight again. (That was partly why the goblins carved that poem on the front doors. As a warning and a dare) Right now, however, Gringotts security wasn't feeling very proud. In fact, the bank was in an uproar.  
  
Unbelievable as it seems, Gringotts had just been robbed. And the sum and person that was robbed wasn't just something or someone that you could brush away. In fact, it was nearly twenty thousand galleons, stolen from one Lucius Malfoy. Not only does Lucius Malfoy had the power to sue their company broke (in the literally sense, not money sense), he was also one of their main customers and was held in very high regards. To say the goblins were pissed was an understatement. This was a huge blow to their egos. In one day, Gringotts could go from most respected to being viewed as fools who couldn't even catch a common thief.  
  
Luckily for them, Lucius Malfoy had given them twenty-four hours to find the thief before he give this piece of news to the media. Twenty-four hours before they lose face. Every goblin was called in and they combed the bank from top to bottom. It was a goblin named Grimlin who made the discovery, a crumbled piece of paper with scrawled writing on it, stuck in the door of Lucius Malfoy's vault.  
  
When the goblins connected the writing to hieroglyphs, the Egyptian branch was immediately contacted. Unfortunately, the goblins were not that educated. The writing on the paper was not hieroglyphs but something that looks like it. It was a very complicated form of demon writing, one of the top ten most common writing in the demon world. (There were at least two hundred kinds of writing)  
  
The goblins, having not journeyed outside the world much could not possibly know of demons when half of them had never heard of phoenixes. Thus, the language problem was undiscovered.  
  
The Egyptian branch immediately went on high alert and it was discovered seconds later that a cursebreaker employed in their service had yet to check out of the list when he reported to work today. This was of course news that was very welcome. They were saved and a criminal was discovered.  
  
Not half a moment later, the Malfoy head was contacted and information was passed on from the goblins to the man. The suspect was further entrenched when it was discovered that his family and the Malfoy family were at odds with each other. The fact that his family was quite poor did not go unnoticed.  
  
Lucius Malfoy calmly thanked the goblins and assured them that he would not sue them. Why go after the mouse when the elephants made such prime targets? He retired to bed after contacting the Daily Prophet and a few important ministry officials, satisfied that one Weasley family is going to pay.  
  
Five hundred miles away, in a lavishly decorated flat, a white-haired demon sat in his comfy sofa, wolfing down tubs of ice cream and watching the strange contraption called a TV, completely ignorant of the problems caused by his blatant act.

* * *

Severus Snape strode down the corridors and entered his private rooms, agitated beyond belief. He was sure that Voldemort suspected something and Draco Malfoy knew much more than he was letting on. Added to the effort he put in to avoid Dumbledore's manipulation, he was feeling dead on his feet from stress.  
  
Severus wasn't sure which act he regretted more, being a Death Eater or being Dumbledore's spy when he turned on Voldemort. Sitting down heavily on his soft bed, he took out from his chest drawer his most precious object. It was a book or a diary to be precise. A leather-bound black-covered diary that had been in his family for generations. It was also his only heirloom that he valued. Although Severus couldn't read a word it says, it brought him strength just by looking at it.  
  
It was one of the few things that were his, which is why he valued it so much. He stroked the covers gently and sighed in despair. The diary was first owned by Severus' great ancestor Emelon Talon and later by his great- great-granddaughter Seelia Talon. To his knowledge, those two were the only ones who ever wrote in the book. Severus had no idea what Emelon Talon was great for and neither does his family. That knowledge had been lost when Seelia died. It had been said that Emelon and Seelia came from a far-away place where time and space has no meaning.  
  
Severus had laughed when he'd been told that. After all, even if time doesn't exist, space would. There couldn't be a place in the real world where such a land existed.  
  
_Could there?_

_

* * *

_  
Melody Summers had been an Auror for four years. She was one of the few girls who made it through the examination and had been proud of it. Her sister would have been proud. Melody had always wanted to best her sister but no matter what, she doesn't even seem to be getting close. That is why she'd always been pleased that she was a witch and her sister was not. Now, she'd been put in charge of a very important investigation concerning the arrest of Bill Weasley. Melody couldn't have been more smug.  
  
_Ha! See if you could best that Vivian!  
  
_Melody doesn't hate her sister. Perhaps before she became a witch, there was some jealousy. Now there's only pity. Here she was top-ranked and successful while her sister remained a poor muggle. Melody was convinced that Vivian would never reached her level of superiority. Vivian Summers can no longer best her at everything and she was happy.  
  
And Melody refused to believe anything else. She had not seen hide or tail of Vivian since her sixteenth birthday and doesn't really miss her. After all, Vivian was only a muggle. Nothing special.

* * *

Madame Vivian had never liked her twin sister and often described her as an arrogant bitch. However, she had seen no reason to burst Melody's ignorant bubble so she had just let her believe that she was better than her.  
  
In truth, Vivian preferred to gloat in private and amuse herself with other people's woes. She was a person who simply doesn't care about people. That was why it was so surprising that she willingly made an effort to find the lost students of Kaiser Klementine. And Vivian was closer than anyone else. Just because she had the advantage of knowing exactly why nobody could trace their magical signature.  
  
There were only four planes in Bermuda that had this kind of shielding. Vivian had confirmed this as a fact for she specialized in tracking this kind of anti-detection shields. Three of the shields on the planes were put up by Vivian herself and she'd already checked to see if Harry and Ares were on them. They weren't. Therefore, that only left one target.  
  
_The lost Hall of Titanium._

_Unfortunately, even she didn't know where it resides._

_

* * *

_Harry and Ares landed in a maze. While it didn't particularly looked like a maze, Harry was convinced that it was. After all, he had seen too many unlike-maze mazes to be tricked now. Ares was still sceptical but agreed to find a way out. They didn't really had much choice.

Unfortunately, without the use of magic, (they discovered an even stronger block that prevents magic use in the maze) the duo were absolutely hopeless. They managed to walk for about three seconds before getting lost. But it wasn't all their fault. For you see, the maze _shifted_. Yes, shifted. That fact alone ensured the two that they're never going to get out without some outside help, who are impossible to contact without the use of magic.

Suddenly, they bumped into a person, _hard_. Or correction: Harry bumped into the person and Ares bumped into Harry. The person was the first to get up however and started to speak frantically,

"Oh thank gods, I thought I was the only person here, I-"

Harry heard the cutoff and looked at the stranger carefully. The mysterious person seemed to be gaping at him. Unfortunately, due to the dim light, Harry had yet to see who he is.

"Harry Potter? Is that really you?" The person whispered shocked, and shifted into view.

Harry's eyes widened comically and said in an equally shocked voice,

"Bill? Bill Weasley?"

* * *

Once more, thank you for your time and please Review!  
  
Silverrowan 


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